Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)

Overrated

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Best movie of this year hands down!

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

The "conceptual mother" of every character in animation after it. This is how I define this extravagant creation of Winsor McCay, another great animator from the beginnings of cinema.Originally used as a vaudeville act, the short in fact, is quite enjoyable that way, with a Winsor acting as a circus tamer and giving orders to his creature to do tricks (all with on-screen cards). The funny thing is, obviously, that it is not a lion or a bear, or anything like that, but instead the titular female sauropod, which as indicated by the tag-lines "(she) lived millions of years before man inhabited this earth". In other words, an already extinct animal, now alive thanks to the hands of McCay. Gertie is probably the first animated character with a distinctive personality: childish, playful, a kind of a "rebel". And she immediately gains the sympathy of the audience. Several animated characters that would come after would adapt many of these characteristics; in this case, as it is the first example in this area, it gives the short film a fitting sense of innocence.What follows is a routine of tricks, with great moments such as the interactions with the mammoth (poor "Jumbo"!), or the exaggerated but funny "drink" Gertie enjoys. At the visual level, there is a fluid mobility of both Gertie and the other creatures that appear, even those with a few seconds on-screen, but other details like the the earth and rocks that tremble as the giant animal walks through are well put and carefully added.The prologue and epilogue with McCay and other animators like George McManus is also entertaining, but said prologue can feel a little stretched before the main act.A true animated classic, as awesome and still amusing after all these years.

Cinema's first look at dinosaurs has all the creativity that anyone could want. Winsor McCay's "Gertie the Dinosaur" is a simple but funny short. I first saw the cartoon in a documentary about the history of animation. McCay stood in front of an audience and explained what he was about to do. Then the playful reptile made her grand entrance. It shows what one can do with animation. It is, after all, simply another form of filmmaking. Since then, animation has ranged from the soft and cute (the Silly Symphonies) to the mordant (Ralph Bakshi's "Fritz the Cat").You have to see "Gertie the Dinosaur", if for no other reason except to get a look at early animation. A masterpiece.

Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) *** 1/2 (out of 4)This Winsor McCay film starts off very much like his first as McCay and a friend are inside a dinosaur exhibit when the artist says he could make them walk. The friend and others at a local club laugh at him so he makes a bet that he can bring a dinosaur to life. A month later McCay displays Gertie, a lovable dinosaur who will do whatever he says. I will admit that the start of this film is a tad bit slow because we've already seen this same opening in an earlier film. With that said, there's no question that this is a very important film and one that is a must see. The most amazing thing to me about this film is how much life McCay is able to give Gertie. There's not a single frame where you feel as if you're watching a bit of animation because the director does such a nice job at bringing her to life and making her seem so real. The animation includes Gertie doing various tricks, a dance and a few other things but we also get a sea serpent that shows up. The animation looks incredibly strong and we're given some great humor throughout. I hate using the word cute but that's exactly what this film is and it's so impressive that even those who can't stand older movies should be drawn into it.

Winsor McCay's skill, wit, and creativity are all quite apparent when watching his pioneering animation feature "Gertie the Dinosaur", which is also an enjoyable and sometimes enchanting little movie in its own right. The format is similar to an earlier feature in which McCay introduced his animated versions of the Little Nemo characters. The footage featuring "Gertie" is prefaced by a mini-story suggesting how the idea for her arose, and then comes the highlight, the animation starring the engaging dinosaur herself. The combination of McCay's imaginative images, and the fascination of dinosaurs in themselves, makes it quite enjoyable.The animation is extremely good for such an early effort. McCay already had the knack for drawing interesting figures, and in moving pictures such as this one he made sure to include little details that add extra interest. This feature also shows some good story-telling, as a number of times Gertie's antics effectively play off of audience expectations. Her interaction with McCay also works very well, and the whole feature is a very enjoyable piece of cinema and animation history.